"So are we going to tell people?" Stephanie asked, as she looked at her
ring.
"Well, yeah, of course, when do you want to?"
"Well, it has been three weeks since you proposed, maybe we can fly to our parent's houses and announce it to them in person."
"Do you really want to fly to Canada and Connecticut?"
She laughed, "No, not really."
Chris looked up from his newspaper. Stephanie was looking at the ring again. He found that she liked to look at it. She had said that she thought it was beautiful, and exactly what she always pictured the perfect engagement ring to be.
They had spent the past three weeks adjusting to the idea of being engaged. There wasn't anything different in their relationship, but they knew that long term there was. Before Chris had proposed, it had been a silent agreement that they would be together for the foreseeable future. They couldn't imagine living without each other.
Now it was slightly different. They were going to be married, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. As awkward as it was at first, they were actually kind of looking forward to it now. It was a nice thought that they'd always be there for each other.
"We can just call them and tell them," he told her.
"Actually, my parents are coming to the show, you know in couple of weeks, we can wait and tell them then, then we can tell your parents."
"Ok, sounds like a plan."
"Great."
"So how's the show coming along?"
"It's less hectic than last time."
"I figured as much, since you're not running around like a crazy woman."
"Well, I was better prepared this time. I was wondering if I could include a picture of you?"
"Me? When did you take a picture of me?"
"Well, actually, it's of the both of us, I set the timer and got the picture. It's really nice, do you want to see it?"
"Well, yeah, if I'm going to have my face up there for the world to see, I want to make sure I don't look like an idiot."
"Come on then," she grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs.
They walked into the dark room, and Stephanie walked over to the batch of pictures she had developed earlier. She sorted through them, and found the picture she was looking for. She handed it over to him, letting him look at it.
He smiled. It was a picture of them sitting on their porch with Dungy. They were sitting on the porch swing, and they were both laughing. Their eyes were shining with something that looked a lot like happiness. Chris thought it was a great picture.
"Wow, this is wonderful. I might have to buy this one at your show."
"Well, you can get a free copy if you want," she said, smiling, glad that he liked it.
"Yeah, but I like supporting the arts."
"We'll see, maybe someone else wants us in their home."
"We'll be famous."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"Hey, I kind of like the idea of being famous."
"You would."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing at all Chris, nothing at all."
"I'll let it go this time."
"Good," Stephanie was silent for a moment, "Chris?"
"Uh huh?" he said, looking at some of Stephanie's other prints.
"Do you want children?"
Chris looked up at her, a little surprised by her question. He and Jessica had always wanted kids, but that would never come true now. He and Stephanie were getting married, and they were going to be together.
"I guess, don't you?"
"Yeah, I'd like to have them. Do you think we should though? I mean, we don't love each other, and we're really only going to marry for convenience, should we be bringing children into a situation like that?"
Chris thought for a few minutes before responding, "If we have kids, I will love them more than anything else. I love you as a friend Stephanie, you're not just some woman I picked up off the street. You're my best friend. And any child we have will be loved like any other child, and have two involved parents."
Stephanie's lips turned up into a small smile, "Well, when you put it that way, how can I argue?"
"I'm just good at that I guess. What do you say we head to bed, it's getting late, and I have to get an early start tomorrow."
"Ok, we don't have to start on those kids yet or anything."
"Well, I wasn't going to, but if we should have them, I hope you know that I'll be with you every step of the way."
"I know."
******************
"Morning already?" Chris mumbled as his alarm went off. Stephanie looked up from his chest for a moment. She saw the sunlight streaming through the blinds.
"Mmm, yeah," Stephanie answered, rolling over away from him.
"Damn, I've got to get going. I've got to get my horses ready for tomorrow, I've got some people interested in buying my new mare."
"Great," Stephanie said, half-asleep.
"I'll see you in a while," Chris said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, "You're going to have lunch with me on the horse trail right?"
"Mmm-hmm," she told him, "Now let me sleep."
"Ok, see you in a bit."
Chris went downstairs and out to the stables. Stephanie fell asleep again, surrounded by the warmth of the bed, the faint scent of Chris's after shave present in the pillow. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber she heard the doorbell ringing.
She opened her eyes, and wondered who would be at the door. She closed her eyes again, figuring that Chris would get it. The doorbell kept ringing, and Stephanie wondered why it was taking so long for Chris to answer it.
"Chris!" she yelled, "Get the door!"
She didn't hear anything. She reluctantly got out of bed, and groaned as she stretched. She looked out the window into the back, and saw Chris was at the stables. Well that explained why he wasn't getting the door.
Stephanie trudged downstairs, still in her pajamas, and her hair disheveled from sleep. She walked towards the front door, and shooed Dungy away as she went to open it. She opened the door, and confronted the person on the other side.
It was a woman, a petite blonde woman. Stephanie had never seen her before, and wondered if they were here to see the horses. Maybe Chris had gotten the days mixed up and the horse people were coming today.
"Hi, can I help you?" Stephanie asked.
"Um," the woman eyed her, "I'm looking for Chris Irvine, do I have the wrong address?"
"No, you have the right address, Chris lives here, I'm Stephanie. Are you here for the horses?"
"No, I'm not."
"Oh, then I'm sorry, what are you here for?"
"I'm here to see Chris."
"Is he expecting you, because he didn't tell me he was expecting company?"
She shook her head, "He's not expecting me."
"Oh, then let me get him for you, oh I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
"It's Jessica."
"Well, yeah, of course, when do you want to?"
"Well, it has been three weeks since you proposed, maybe we can fly to our parent's houses and announce it to them in person."
"Do you really want to fly to Canada and Connecticut?"
She laughed, "No, not really."
Chris looked up from his newspaper. Stephanie was looking at the ring again. He found that she liked to look at it. She had said that she thought it was beautiful, and exactly what she always pictured the perfect engagement ring to be.
They had spent the past three weeks adjusting to the idea of being engaged. There wasn't anything different in their relationship, but they knew that long term there was. Before Chris had proposed, it had been a silent agreement that they would be together for the foreseeable future. They couldn't imagine living without each other.
Now it was slightly different. They were going to be married, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. As awkward as it was at first, they were actually kind of looking forward to it now. It was a nice thought that they'd always be there for each other.
"We can just call them and tell them," he told her.
"Actually, my parents are coming to the show, you know in couple of weeks, we can wait and tell them then, then we can tell your parents."
"Ok, sounds like a plan."
"Great."
"So how's the show coming along?"
"It's less hectic than last time."
"I figured as much, since you're not running around like a crazy woman."
"Well, I was better prepared this time. I was wondering if I could include a picture of you?"
"Me? When did you take a picture of me?"
"Well, actually, it's of the both of us, I set the timer and got the picture. It's really nice, do you want to see it?"
"Well, yeah, if I'm going to have my face up there for the world to see, I want to make sure I don't look like an idiot."
"Come on then," she grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs.
They walked into the dark room, and Stephanie walked over to the batch of pictures she had developed earlier. She sorted through them, and found the picture she was looking for. She handed it over to him, letting him look at it.
He smiled. It was a picture of them sitting on their porch with Dungy. They were sitting on the porch swing, and they were both laughing. Their eyes were shining with something that looked a lot like happiness. Chris thought it was a great picture.
"Wow, this is wonderful. I might have to buy this one at your show."
"Well, you can get a free copy if you want," she said, smiling, glad that he liked it.
"Yeah, but I like supporting the arts."
"We'll see, maybe someone else wants us in their home."
"We'll be famous."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"Hey, I kind of like the idea of being famous."
"You would."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing at all Chris, nothing at all."
"I'll let it go this time."
"Good," Stephanie was silent for a moment, "Chris?"
"Uh huh?" he said, looking at some of Stephanie's other prints.
"Do you want children?"
Chris looked up at her, a little surprised by her question. He and Jessica had always wanted kids, but that would never come true now. He and Stephanie were getting married, and they were going to be together.
"I guess, don't you?"
"Yeah, I'd like to have them. Do you think we should though? I mean, we don't love each other, and we're really only going to marry for convenience, should we be bringing children into a situation like that?"
Chris thought for a few minutes before responding, "If we have kids, I will love them more than anything else. I love you as a friend Stephanie, you're not just some woman I picked up off the street. You're my best friend. And any child we have will be loved like any other child, and have two involved parents."
Stephanie's lips turned up into a small smile, "Well, when you put it that way, how can I argue?"
"I'm just good at that I guess. What do you say we head to bed, it's getting late, and I have to get an early start tomorrow."
"Ok, we don't have to start on those kids yet or anything."
"Well, I wasn't going to, but if we should have them, I hope you know that I'll be with you every step of the way."
"I know."
******************
"Morning already?" Chris mumbled as his alarm went off. Stephanie looked up from his chest for a moment. She saw the sunlight streaming through the blinds.
"Mmm, yeah," Stephanie answered, rolling over away from him.
"Damn, I've got to get going. I've got to get my horses ready for tomorrow, I've got some people interested in buying my new mare."
"Great," Stephanie said, half-asleep.
"I'll see you in a while," Chris said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, "You're going to have lunch with me on the horse trail right?"
"Mmm-hmm," she told him, "Now let me sleep."
"Ok, see you in a bit."
Chris went downstairs and out to the stables. Stephanie fell asleep again, surrounded by the warmth of the bed, the faint scent of Chris's after shave present in the pillow. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber she heard the doorbell ringing.
She opened her eyes, and wondered who would be at the door. She closed her eyes again, figuring that Chris would get it. The doorbell kept ringing, and Stephanie wondered why it was taking so long for Chris to answer it.
"Chris!" she yelled, "Get the door!"
She didn't hear anything. She reluctantly got out of bed, and groaned as she stretched. She looked out the window into the back, and saw Chris was at the stables. Well that explained why he wasn't getting the door.
Stephanie trudged downstairs, still in her pajamas, and her hair disheveled from sleep. She walked towards the front door, and shooed Dungy away as she went to open it. She opened the door, and confronted the person on the other side.
It was a woman, a petite blonde woman. Stephanie had never seen her before, and wondered if they were here to see the horses. Maybe Chris had gotten the days mixed up and the horse people were coming today.
"Hi, can I help you?" Stephanie asked.
"Um," the woman eyed her, "I'm looking for Chris Irvine, do I have the wrong address?"
"No, you have the right address, Chris lives here, I'm Stephanie. Are you here for the horses?"
"No, I'm not."
"Oh, then I'm sorry, what are you here for?"
"I'm here to see Chris."
"Is he expecting you, because he didn't tell me he was expecting company?"
She shook her head, "He's not expecting me."
"Oh, then let me get him for you, oh I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
"It's Jessica."
